ES2296911T3 - SYSTEM AND PROCEDURE FOR DETECTION AND STORAGE OF ENVELOPES. - Google Patents

Abstract

Procedure for continuously capturing and storing a sequence of digital images associated with a potential traffic violation in the event that it occurs, the procedure comprising the following steps: a) adjust the situation parameters, capture resolution and parameters of storage locations; b) adjust at least one total time and at least one number of frames per unit of time to capture and store a sequence of digital images of a potential traffic violation; c) allocate space for a memory loop according to the settings in step b); d) initialize the devices for capturing potential traffic violations; e) capture and store in the memory loop, overwriting the previous sequence stored in it, a new sequence of digital images for one of said at least a total time and according to one of said at least a number of frames per unit of time, both defined in stage b); f) verify, during the total time defined in stage e), that a traffic violation has occurred, if no traffic violation has been detected return to stage e); g) definitively store in a storage location the sequence of digital images included in the memory loop; h) definitively capture and store a sequence of digital images after detecting that a traffic violation has occurred during one of said at least a total time and according to one of said at least a number of frames per unit of time , both defined in stage b); i) concatenate a single file the definitive sequence of digital images generated in stages g) and h); and j) permanently store the digital image sequence file created in step i).

Description

System and procedure for detection and Event storage

The present invention relates to a system, a device and a procedure for detection, the storage and event control, particularly those related with fleets, vehicles and traffic violations, and intended for driver information and education, especially in relation With traffic on the roads.

The lack of discipline in Brazil and the consequent driver impunity remained for many years, until the promulgation, on September 23, 1997, of the Law No. 9,503, known as the National Traffic Code, hereinafter called CTB. Before the existence of the CTB, the statistics relating to deaths caused by traffic accidents and traffic crashes cars were alarming, Brazil being one of the countries leaders in terms of percentage of victims related to the traffic.

Statistics presented by the Police National Highway show that the reduction experienced by the number of traffic accident victims after the promulgation of the CTB was not significant, corresponding to only 0.7%, and demonstrating that the procedures Surveillance has little effect on driver education of our country

Brazil presents a "victim index" very higher than in developed countries. This index measures the number of deaths per sample of 10,000 vehicles and is used throughout the world to provide an indication of violence in the traffic. In 1997, the victim rate in Brazil was 8.00. Countries like Japan, Italy, the US, France, Germany and Austria they have indexes between 1.50 and 4.00.

Unfortunately, both the facts and the statistics show that traffic behavior  of Brazilians has not changed much since the promulgation of CTB Administrative and judicial jurisprudence suggests that it is not They achieve great results through punishment without education. By therefore, at this time, the main objective, and therefore the CTB's main challenge is to educate the population Brazilian.

With the CTB, in addition to severe penalties for infractions, a change in relative policies was introduced to control and surveillance of traffic in our country, ending to a long period of existence of a surveillance system ineffective. Traffic violations began to be counted in terms of points and by accumulating 20 points the driver lost his Driver's License.

The CTB caused a positive effect when establishing limits on the rights and obligations of the Administration Public, in order to carry out more effective surveillance. Previously, there was no exact definition of what it was really the entity in charge of the control and surveillance of traffic on the streets and highways of Brazil, and in many cases it produced confusing actions that involved administration municipal, state and Federal Union, leading to the inapplicability of traffic laws.

The consequence of this lack of delimitation was that family members of accident victims of traffic presented litigation against the municipal administration, attributing to him the figure of the passive (accused) part of the litigation, but also pointing to the State and the Federal Union as parties co-responsible for the omission of signaling and / or surveillance in the place.

The slowness of the judicial system worsened this situation of absence of definition or responsibility of Public entities involved. In some cases, after 20 years, the family members of the victim were still waiting for the judicial decision that should determine at what level, municipal, state or federal, the responsibility for the payment of compensation.

The CTB determined that, as a general rule, the State is responsible for monitoring compliance with the applicable regulations (IPVA), and the Municipality is responsible for monitoring the circulation of the car park, cover the incidents by speeding, violation of traffic lights in red and of improper parking and to collect the income derived from fines applied in relation to the aforementioned infractions previously and use this revenue to expand and improve the signaling and surveillance system of urban roads.

Due to the reduced staff of agents police and vigilantes, the municipal traffic technical companies, together with the transit department (DETRANS), they began to use the so-called electronic control or monitoring, which serves as traffic control and monitoring equipment to detect infractions

The main objective of this team is to the detection of traffic violations related to the speeding and violation of traffic lights in red with the in order to reduce the number of accidents and discipline Vehicle drivers. For this reason, the locations for the installation of electronic surveillance equipment is They selected based on a high accident rate. Either by mere coincidence or for another reason, these equipment were installed on the main roads of the city, and therefore those that they presented the highest vehicle circulation fees, but it cannot be affirmed which of the factors really served to Determine the choice of locations.

Electronic surveillance is a recent resource in Brazil, which has been used for less than 10 years. Do not However, in Europe and the United States, this resource has already At least 30 years in practice. Surprisingly, in this short time interval, Brazil is already in the first places in terms of the use of surveillance machines electronics.

It is known to increase the number of cops is not easy and often hindered by bureaucratic and financial difficulties. The settings of the municipal budget limit payroll expenses to 60% (sixty percent). Since almost all municipalities have already reached this percentage, and in some cases they really have exceeded, they cannot hire new agents. Surveillance by electronic equipment can fill this void, becoming a alternative for municipalities, both from the point of view alternative as in financial terms.

According to the CET RIO, for example, the points of electronic surveillance are preceded by signaling panels who intend to warn users to comply with the Legislation and legal regulations. This fact does not occur in the practice, (or if it occurs is not very effective), and for this reason, Throughout these almost four years of code application, drivers who consider themselves as victims or unfairly treated have baptized these machines with the nickname "slot machines".

In an article published in Traffic Safety, Graham provides an overview of the controversy between community members favorable to detectors and members who They oppose them. In this study, Graham presents evidence scientists referred to the difficulty of educating drivers using electronic detectors. (Graham, S. Police battle Speeders, Traffic Safety. November / December 1996, pp. 8-12).

Among the points that make it difficult educate the driver is the elapsed time span between the issuance of the fine and the act of infringement itself, which the effect in terms of change in traffic behavior be a reduced or null effect.

Electronic surveillance devices can generate a large number of citations, with a reduced expense caused by on- site personnel. The use of these devices causes a concern with regard to traffic safety, such concern being centered (Hoff, 1997) on the lack of capacity of the agent to decide whether or not to issue a citation, since the time elapsed between the event and the citation prevents the accused from having an adequate opportunity to present a defense that could exempt him. In many cases, these citations generate minor consequences, for example, fines of reduced value that make it impracticable to accept the expenses involved in organizing a defense. (Hoff, C., Legal issues surrounding photo radar speed enforcement. WesternITE, July-August 1997, 51 (4), pp. 1-3, 9).

When a traffic offense is punished, the main objective is to educate the driver who has committed the infraction, even though the distance between the event and the Receipt of the fine means that this objective is not reached in the Most cases, since the driver no longer remembers the infraction he committed.

The large number of fines issued increases the temporary distance between the event and the receipt of the fine. In the present state of the art, there may be an increase even greater than this time interval, which in many cases will cause that these fines are not taken into consideration, since the Citations for traffic offenses must be delivered to drivers within 30 (thirty) days.

In countries like Brazil, in which the population persistently tries to circumvent the laws using the famous Brazilian "jeitinho" (cunning), the higher the time interval elapsed between infringement and receipt of the fine, the greater the possibility of the appearance of "bands" specialized in removing fines that have not yet been issued, generally originating such schemes in the many bodies responsible for issuing fines.

Blackburn and Gilbert (1995) reviewed and synthesized studies concerning electronic surveillance, performing an analysis of electronic surveillance programs in the United States, Australia, Canada and Europe. The most important conclusion derived from these studies is based on the inefficiency of these types of equipment, taking into account that they could reduce expenses, accidents or even some injustices. On the other hand, the extension of the benefits does not occur in the same proportion and depends, essentially, on the details of the situations that generate the infractions. These studies basically reexamine the history of the use of electronic surveillance, mainly in the United States, where the legal and technical requirements for the use of this equipment were analyzed and taken into account, and a review of the problems encountered was carried out. in the use of them. (Blackburn, RR, and Gilbert, GT Photographic enforcement of traffic laws. NCHRP Synthesis of Highway Practice No. 219, 1995. Transportation Research Board, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 200418,
USES).

The state of the art shows that it is not enough to have the latest generation equipment, as is the case with United States, it is also necessary to make it work in correct and effective way. Technology is designed to serve humanity, and we should not become servants of these equipment without the interference of a human analysis in this chain: vehicle, infraction, fine.

Although the use of this type of equipment is more recent in Brazil than in the countries mentioned above, Brazil has not benefited from this, since the problems given to know in these studies with reference to surveillance electronics have been reproduced in our country so systematic Therefore, equipment should be questioned used so far and the forms of surveillance offered by the same.

There are currently two kinds of equipment electronic surveillance The first consists of a fixed camera for record infractions of traffic lights in red. This team is install at traffic lights and have sensors installed only under the retention bands. When the light comes on red, the team activates and records the vehicles that pass with the red traffic light by means of two photographs. The first one is taken at the moment the vehicle crosses the sensor and after a interval between 0.5 and 10 seconds, the second photograph Determine if the vehicle really ignores the red light or stops after the band

The second is the fixed or mobile radar for the speed measurement. This equipment measures the speed of vehicles by means of the exact focus of a radar beam that acts using various forms of detection, one of which is based in the Doppler principle (waves emitted at speeds close to the speed of light), controlling up to three lanes. At instant when the vehicle crosses the radar beam at a speed higher than allowed, a photograph is taken that includes the date, time, location code, allowed speed and speed of the offender.

The ways of speed measurement used in electronic surveillance and control equipment are the following:

one)

Radar of microwave. There are two types of microwave detectors, the first transmits electromagnetic energy on a frequency constant to measure vehicle speed, using the Doppler principle, and the second type of microwave radar transmits a memorized waveform, also called a wave of modulated frequency, which varies continuously over time the transmitted frequency, allowing the detection of vehicles unemployed.

2)

Passive infrared detector Provide the data related to the passage and presence of the vehicle, But not the speed.

3)

Infrared detector active. Act in a similar way to the microwave detector. A laser is used to transmit energy near the infrared spectrum (approximately 0.9 micrometers in length) of which a part is again reflected to the detector receiver by a vehicle that It is within the field of vision of the instrument. Supplies data on the pace, presence and speed of the vehicle.

4)

Ultrasonic detectors Detectors Ultrasonics were created to receive data regarding the scope and to the Doppler effect.

5)

Passive acoustic detectors. These Devices generate acoustic energy or audible sound. When a  vehicle crosses the detection zone, the processing algorithm of signals detects an increase in the sound that allows the speed reduction

6)

Magnetic detector.

7)

Video image processor. He processor identifies vehicles and parameters associated with the flow of traffic by means of an analysis of the images provided For the video cameras. Using calculation structures specific images are digitized and transmitted through of a series of algorithms that identify changes in the image of background.

After the installation of the equipment electronic surveillance, there was a large increase in the number of fines issued. We will mention, for example, the case of Department of Transit (DETRAN) of the State of Rio de Janeiro, which during the year 2000 issued a total of 1,864,064 fines, of the which 870,573 were issued in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The most frequent infractions were: speed up to 20% higher at the maximum speed allowed 831,824 fines; violation of red traffic lights or mandatory stop 204,444 fines; and speed 20% higher than the maximum speed allowed 193,697 fines.

Indiscriminate use without comparative history has been generating anachronistic or anomalous results. For example, large percentages, or even the entire fleet of a city, have been fined in the course of a year, without the counterpart of a decrease in accidents and fatalities, a sine qua non condition to justify the use of such equipment.

In the municipality of Belém (State of Pará) he had An unusual place. After system installation electronic traffic control and monitoring in the municipality, the entire car park in the municipality was fined, causing a popular uproar against electronic surveillance.

The current state of the art does not generate irrefutable evidence of the violations detected and, in the In most cases, it generates injustices or even evidence irrelevant This is a consequence of the renunciation of surveillance carried out by human beings, in favor of the option of surveillance performed by an electronic team that simply Record the offending action in a photograph. The equipment of this class do not record the events that precede the offending action or that occur after it, while if such events are analyzed properly, could constitute irrefutable evidence to justify the fact that they did not constitute a violation real.

When a fixed radar is used to measure and monitor excessive speed, it is appreciated that in most of the cases the driver is driving the vehicle at a speed exceeding the limit allowed, proceed to stop or reduce the speed a few meters before going through the radar, and a few moments after passing it resumes driving at the previous speed excessive

In addition, when analyzing the data, it is observed that the equipment currently used, in most cases, Only drivers who exceed the speed limit are penalized because they go through the radar at a speed slightly higher than allowed If the average driver speed could be measured, possibly the same infraction could be ignored.

Therefore, the state of the art shown by existing mentioned equipment can not avoid excesses from administration officials or situations unfair as described above.

With all these defects implanted by the state of the art, already properly identified, devised another equipment to try to find solutions to problems, but this equipment also shows defects in itself.

A system for compliance monitoring of traffic regulations, which is the subject of US Patent No. 6,121,898, consists of two or more units of work and at least a central computer connected through network devices. The work units are fixed separately to a determined distance and each unit comprises a device of license plate reading The central computer receives inputs from the two units that are not necessarily work units adjacent, including the identification of discriminant marks, for example identification of the license plates of the vehicles that have passed. The work unit and the computer central cooperate to calculate the average speed of a vehicle that passes between the two units, through entries of: (a) the minimum travel time to travel distances between units of work, which subsequently transmit discriminant marks compared, (b) sending the speed limit data between two work units, for which information is transmitted comparing the license plates of the vehicles, and (c) elapsed time interval between the transmission of the comparison of the identification of discriminant brands to central computer Optionally, after an interval of predetermined time, the information related to a vehicle that does not correspond to an infraction is deleted.

The equipment described above requires include at least two work units to identify discriminant brands, record only the time of the violation, works only with video cameras, there are no alternative ways to generate the revealed images. After a predetermined period of time, images that do not correspond to a violation are deleted. However, the system does not reveals the party or entity responsible for this analysis. Do not makes it possible to record events that occurred before the infraction or after it.

An object or vehicle control system, which constitutes the objective of US Patent No. 5,809,161, comprises a connection camera to control the movement of an object, determine the moment of acquisition of an image, so that the Image of an object is obtained at a predetermined time. He system comprises a camera that can control objects and images of processed circuits, sensitive to the camera, can also detect the movement of a predetermined object among others static and moving objects. The information that identifies the Object can be automatically extracted from the image obtained. He system fits particularly for large-scale control and vehicle discrimination between other vehicles in a highway with multiple lanes and get high images resolution of numerous vehicles at a predetermined point. The data and information related to the images obtained through of a plurality of connected cameras can be sent through a digital communications network to the processing system central, which can extract the identification data from the vehicle, as well as details of the license plates of the vehicles and get information between connections, referring to A moving vehicle.

The system mentioned above by way of example is primarily intended for the control and surveillance of vehicle fleets, not to record images of infractions of traffic, and works exclusively by using cameras

The traffic control system that constitutes The purpose of US Patent No. 5,935,190 presents a common enclosure for a Doppler transceiver radar, a video camera and a digital computer to process the signal Doppler The system also includes a VCR, a camera High speed and a transportable computer to download control settings originated by a program stored in a floppy disk or on a memory card, to send them to the computer digital. The digital computer performs an initial self-test by entering a calibration signal in one place. He Radar modem generates a two-channel Doppler signal and phase between the two channels indicates if a vehicle is approaching the radar modem or is moving away from it. The two channels are recorded in the right and left audio channels of a VCR. The speeds of the vehicles detected in the system are they record together with the video signal and are stored in memory, in order to provide a recording that demonstrates the traffic conditions when filing a lawsuit against a driver offender. The recording image can also comprise a successive series of velocity measurements with respect to each vehicle. Although an operator could hear the Doppler signal, it prefer to have a digital computer that triggers an alarm sound to emit an acoustic discharge when the system detects a vehicle and emit a sound when the vehicle exceeds the permitted speed limit.

This system aims to measure the exact speed of the vehicle when going through the radar, and does not allow to measure the speed half of it. Also, the system does not allow you to record your own event, just the moment the infraction actually occurs. It operates exclusively through Doppler radar and requires an operator No recordings of previous events are made and later.

The speed control system of vehicles constituting the objective of US Patent No. 5,734,337 it consists of a procedure to determine the speed of the Vehicle using a camera. The procedure compensates automatically imperfections due to the position of the camera and the respective vehicle for a certain speed. The invention disclosed in this US patent also comprises a camera calibration procedure to compensate for imperfections due to camera position.

The document EP-A-0 741 377 describes a system which controls road traffic to determine when violate driving laws, for example to detect speeding vehicles, vehicles that skip red traffic lights, vehicles that do not keep the distance of prescribed safety with the vehicle that precedes it, etc. With this system, vehicles are controlled by an object sensor and output signals are generated as actual values dependent on the movement or captured positions. The actual values are process in an analysis unit connected to the object sensor and will be purchased with predetermined target values or threshold. A deviation from the actual values of the target value or threshold indicates that a rule has been transgressed and a trigger signal is generated. The trigger signal causes a camera to record an image of the object together with the data of the infringed norm. If it has violated a rule, the image recorded along with the data corresponding is transmitted in the form of electrical signals to through a data connection to a receiving station in Remote situation of the object sensor and the analysis unit. TO then the transmitted data is saved and / or returned to analyzed at the receiving station.

Document DE 198 02 811 describes a provision in which a pedestrian crossing the street is controlled through a pair of traffic lights and a marked detention line in front at the crosswalk. Between the line and the crosswalk find inductor sensor loops fixed on the surface. A camera records and controls pedestrian crossing conditions when a vehicle passes over the inductance loops while the traffic light is red.

The objective of this invention constitutes a alternative to existing equipment, as it is intended preferably to measure the average vehicle speed between two points, being more effective and correct in terms of monitoring Speed violations In this way, you benefit from a person who unwittingly exceeds the limit when going through the radar and, on the other hand, the person who is placed will be punished permanently above the authorized speed limit.

Since in the current state of the art concerning the control of events and traffic (skip a traffic light in red, for example) with or without additional functions, are taken up to two photographs of the event, some parameters cannot be assimilated, nor the circumstances that precede or have place after the event is recorded, and therefore frequently incorrect and even illegal situations occur, penalizing both drivers and individuals who need the establishment of a correct evaluation of events Registered

With the stage of the invention presented, the event analysis task returns to the human field allowing, for example, the application of fines only in relation to events that constitute real traffic violations and, therefore therefore, reducing the injustice derived from the establishment of electronic penalty proceedings in various cities of the Brazil.

As is known, the systematic replacement in the crossings of the streets of police officers for machines that record infractions against traffic lights in red has generated many problems for drivers and users of systems circulation. The machines work with perfect precision to the Time to generate fines. However, these machines obviate the possibility of rationalizing the analysis of events, precisely in a field in which good sense should prevail, as can Appreciate in the following examples:

Example 1

A moving vehicle tries to stop at a yellow traffic light, but fails to stop until be on the retention band while another vehicle it stops very close behind the first one, preventing it from moving backward. Surely, the registration machine of the traffic light violation in red will record the event as a infringement. If a police officer were present at this Crossover, would you impose a fine?

Example 2

A vehicle stopped at a crosswalk with the red traffic light blocks the passage of a fire truck or a ambulance that blow the siren. If the vehicle moves forward to make way for any of these other vehicles, it is certain that its owner will receive a fine, and the car of firefighters or ambulance will not necessarily be photographed, since it can happen that when these other vehicles cross the retention band and the pedestrian traffic light the traffic light is already green, making it impossible for the first vehicle to explain the cause that the traffic light has been skipped. If at this junction I had been Present a police officer, would it have worked for you? Or would there be acted differently, indicating the first vehicle to allow the passage of the second ?.

Example 3

A suspicious individual walks towards a vehicle stopped at the red light. To avoid possible theft, the driver skips the red light, without a doubt, the owner of the vehicle will receive a fine. If a police officer had witnessed the scene, would you have fined the vehicle? The action of thief would not consist of taking him away from this place knowing that they were being filmed ?.

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The objective of the invention that is being given to knowing presents as a factor of greater differentiation the interest in capture the images of the events that take place before and after of the central event, increasing the correctness of the application of fines, since the circumstances that make it produce the violation.

The objective of the present invention is to be able to register and parameterize various tables (photographs) by second (preferably 5 or more) for several seconds, making possible to see the facts that precede the event and the circumstances after the event that determined the recorded event. He system and procedure is clearly above and more beyond the current state of the art, since it allows analyzing the event including all its circumstances and causes, for example (if it is used in traffic control), whether the vehicle cannot move back due to the presence of another vehicle behind as if the vehicle passes the red light to yield the step into a fire truck or ambulance, or even in a attempt to avoid a robbery, since all this will remain registered.

The system and procedure in question allow you to use cameras or any other way to get images, with panoramic features and / or zoom (lenses telephoto lens), of the place where you want to control the events, for example lanes that are parameterized using a procedure, recording images continuously in a loop of memory, of a size to be defined according to the requirements of pre-event capture, that is, if it is defined that they should be stored three seconds of recording before the violation occurs it is determined that the memory loop must always store the last ninety frames and for each new frame stored in the loop memory should discard a previous frame, and when it they reach certain parameters (for example when committed really a violation), the contents of the loop memory are They definitely store in a mass memory medium.

When determining the area to be controlled, by example when focusing a crossing, the parameters are delimited and, thus, when an object (for example a vehicle) reaches any one of the established parameters, a capture device recognizes this change and definitely stores the content of the preevent of loop memory and then start capturing in time real the pose, in the form of parameters also set in the system. This procedure dispenses with the expensive requirements of installation of physical detectors on the rails, which leave marks on the asphalt, and also makes the use of ultrasonic or laser motion sensor mechanisms, reducing the cost of traffic and event control.

The system and procedure described records and stores events and transmits and retransmits simultaneously (for example via radio) to retransmitters, concentrators and / or intercom exchanges to allow the analysis of event occurred by various individuals / institutions or systems to charge of it, or through other systems that enable have unlimited repetitions of the recorded event, allowing actions and entries in records. The system and the procedure work with multiple parameters and performs multiple tasks Therefore, along with the capture, these system and procedure can activate panels with time information, transmit the identification of vehicles passing through the location in which the equipment is installed (for example via wireless radio) to a central office in which these vehicles are subject to control, or to security centers that Have records of stolen vehicles.

The system and the procedure to control events (such as traffic) described in this invention, simultaneously with the image capture service, they can activate traffic light panels with auxiliary information of the time, for example panels with green light-emitting diode bands and reds that decrease in size as time decreases remaining of the traffic light stage in question. This information Temporary traffic lights are available thanks to the smart traffic lights. Temporary information set to layout in the traffic light panel is captured by the system and procedure along with the images of the object in movement (eg vehicle) with independent parameters (for example crossing the retention band, crossing the band pedestrian, final advance through the crossing, and if this vehicle arrives to cause an accident hitting someone or colliding, will remain stored in the mass memory of the electronic equipment and may analyzed an infinite number of times).

Such data is very valuable, for example, for resolve conflicting situations in which both drivers of the vehicles involved in a collision claim to have passed the green traffic light Whenever the red light is activated, a stopwatch is activated on the screen that could become captured this stopwatch will present two digits for the seconds and two digits for tenths of a second, allowing for means of a simple analysis of the event can be known after how many seconds of activation of the red light passed through the crossing the offending vehicle This stopwatch could represent redemption of many vehicles surprised in the first thousandth of a second after the activation of the red light, and therefore fined, when it is known that it is impossible to achieve this accuracy when stopping A moving vehicle. It could be further considered that if the common capture device is connected to the red light of a current traffic light and not the traffic light panel that presents Temporary auxiliary information will be much more difficult for the driver guess that the green light activation period is is about to expire and must be able to stop your vehicle during the reduced period of yellow light with an accuracy of milliseconds The data, information and parameters referred to each event (for example, place, time, stopwatch and other data required to correctly register the event) are recorded of so that they are more difficult to alter later than in the current state of the art (for example, in the image itself and not in two files), converting the data recorded in the image in part of it, significantly increasing the level of data security and reliability and hindering adulterations of the data related to the event. Simultaneously, events and parameters can be retransmitted (for example to via wireless radio), as described above, to a place where they can be analyzed by individuals Certificates for this purpose. The data transfer (for example via wireless means) allows administration to be obtained public significant savings, speed and security, since no requires installation of wiring above common posts or the permanent rental of a twisted pair from the company of telephony, and does not require the most common form of operation using vehicles, stairs and personnel that perform more than one daily round for each team, to collect the stored data, as in the case of recording devices conventional. Images and data will be transported with a high level of security, since a circuit of Private data transfer with cryptographic security.

The system and procedure described also make it possible, simultaneously or not, to measure the speed using the concept of average speed along a path. Currently, the radar known as "pardais" (sparrows) measures vehicle speed instantaneously, that is, when the vehicle passes through a physical detector implanted in the pavement, its speed is measured at this time and if the vehicle travels at a speed greater than the speed limit allowed in The road is photographed. However, it is easy for normal vehicles quickly increase your speed thanks to its power or that the vehicle is on a journey descending, and sometimes - momentarily - exceed the limit of Speed of the road and are fined. Using the concept of average speed, measurement parameters are defined, depending on the length of the section to be controlled. The vehicle it will only be fined if its speed is above the limit of permitted speed for the road throughout the entire section or most of it, since the vast majority of fines caused by detections made by instant radars are produced due to minor oversights, in most cases without intention to exceed the speed limit of the road.

One of the possible ways of operating This capture mode is as follows: the control routine is starts with the presence of a physical object, a vehicle, in some point equipped with means for alphanumeric recognition of Vehicle license plate data, and connected (by example using wireless radio waves), although it is at a distance of at least fifty meters, with another device registration (in which plate data is also captured of vehicle registration by means of data recognition alphanumeric); this last recording device receives from first the alphanumeric characters of the license plate of the vehicle along with the hour, minute and second in which the vehicle passed through the first sensor and, using a formula Mathematics, it measures the time taken by the vehicle to travel the path from the first virtual sensor registration device to the virtual sensor of the second device of record, and when comparing the measurement result with the entered maximum speed parameters for this section of the road, if the measured speed exceeds the allowed speed, the pre-event,  the event itself and the event in previously defined quantities they will definitely be stored in the second device of record, already with the data related to the location, data of calendar, maximum road speed, measured speed and Other essential data. Speed measurement using the concept of "average speed along the path" applied over long distances is only possible in the intensive use through the work developed by automatic means of recording alphanumeric data, which at capture the data of a license plate send them (by example by wireless radio) to the other recording device, which will wait for the passage of this license plate to make the calculations and compare the results with the maximum allowed speed for this road Data referring to location, time and Other information required to correctly record the event is recorded in the image and not in two files, thus the data Engravings on the image become a part of it, significantly increasing the level of security and reliability of data, preventing data adulterations corresponding to the event. Simultaneously, these images are retransmit (for example via wireless radio) to a monitoring center, where they will be analyzed by people certified for that purpose. The data transfer (for example by wireless means) allows to obtain the administration public significant savings, speed and security, since no requires installation of wiring above common posts or the permanent rental of a twisted pair from the company of telephony, and does not require the most common form of operation using vehicles, stairs and personnel that perform a more than one daily round for each team, to collect stored data, as in the case of devices Conventional registration Images and data will be transported. with a high level of security, since a circuit can be used Data transfer (private or other) with security cryptographic During the journey of the vehicle in the vicinity of the controlled area can be implanted, before and / or between the sensors virtual, at least at a point fixed to the ground, or suspended from supports, a signaling device 208 comprising two colors in order to inform the vehicle of whether it is traveling to the speed allowed on this road or at a speed greater than the allowed This warns the driver, for example by means of light located within your field of vision, of that is traveling at a speed higher than allowed in this road, giving you time to stop, or that you are traveling to the speed allowed on this road, so that the information provided by this team helps strengthen the policy aimed at reducing the current application of fines.

Another useful aspect is the parallel use of capturing images for the tasks described in the two previous uses, and that when these images are sent in real time (for example by means of wireless radio waves) to a central point allows the analysis of the conditions of traffic at the crossing location, which is very valuable for CTA traffic technicians; data transfer by wireless media (or other media) represents for the public administration significant savings, speed and security, since it does not require the installation of wiring with poles conventional or permanent rental of a twisted pair of the telephone company, and a private circuit will be used for the data transfer with cryptographic security.

Another feature of the system and procedure is the use of communication (for example by radio wireless) for data transmission with identification of physical objects or vehicles, moving and detained, located next to the location that can be perceived by the system and the procedure, making it possible to know the situation of a certain vehicle within the territorial area in which They use the system and the procedure. This use results very valuable for the public administration, the police, the public transport companies and large fleet owners who don't always know exactly where their vehicles. With this equipment, the information will be available for most of the day

System description

The system of the present invention is described. then referring to the attached drawings, in the that:

Figure 1 shows a general diagram of the system according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows an outline of the general operation of the radar / violation control system a stop signal;

Figure 3 is a block diagram of the module Of configuration;

Figure 4 is a block diagram of the system initialization routine;

Figure 5 is a block diagram of the module of not stopping at the red light;

Figure 6 is a block diagram of the module radar;

Figure 7 is a continuation of the diagram of blocks of figure 6 corresponding to the radar module;

Figure 8 is a continuation of the diagram of blocks of figure 7 corresponding to the radar module;

Figure 9 is a continuation and the final part of the block diagram of figure 8 corresponding to the module of Radar;

Figure 10 is a block diagram of the control module of registered vehicles;

Figure 11 is a block diagram of the traffic light controller module;

Figure 12 is a block diagram of the pre-event and post-sale record;

Figure 13 is a continuation of the diagram of blocks of figure 12 corresponding to the record of the pre-event and the pose;

Figure 14 is a block diagram of the sorting routine for reading output from partitions  of the pre-event process;

Figure 15 is a block diagram of the process of recording information in the sequence of images digital;

Figure 16 is a block diagram of the vehicle detector;

Figure 17 is a block diagram of the auto passage detection module - virtual detection;

Figure 18 is a block diagram of the motion detection module;

Figure 19 is a block diagram of the character recognition module;

Figure 20 is a block diagram of the Warning means of excessive speed.

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Figure 1 is a general schematic view of the system according to the invention comprising a vehicle detector real or virtual 200, a red traffic light detector 202, a detector radar / violation of a stop signal, a device control, a control system and a communication line that It leads to a tower.

Configuration program: (figure 3)

The configuration program starts checking 1 the existence of the configuration file 2. If the file does not exist, a new file 4 must be created and it enter default values 5. If the file exists, it opens 3, the values of system parameters 6 are read and displayed on a screen to check and / or modify these values 7. When closing 8 the configuration program, if made modifications 9, a dialog box 10 is displayed which asks for a confirmation 11 to save the changes. If you decide save the changes, 13 will be saved in the configuration file, otherwise the changes will be canceled 12.

The structure used for the archive of configuration follows the definitions of the Windows * .INI file. The * .INI files are text files and are divided into section, key and value For example:

100

Initialization system routine (figure 4)

Initially, the system reads the file from configuration 14, the values read from the file are inserted in internal variables of the program 15. These variables are variables global, since all system modules must be able to access to them.

After loading the settings, the initialization process checks capture devices 16 and an analysis 17 is performed to determine the action that should be done If any capture device shows any problem, an error message 20 is displayed and the program 21 is closed.

If all devices are correct, it will adjust the resolution of image capture 18 according to the specifications found in the configuration file. You also set the number of frames per second 19 that must be used in the sequential process of digital images.

When the system is running on an operating system multitasking and "multithread" the initialization process will execute the modules in parallel, as specified in the configuration file If it is necessary to load the module violation control of a stop signal 22, the process of the module started 23, repeating them for 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29.

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Example:

101

Red light stop control module (Figure 5)

The traffic light non-stop control module in red controls whether a vehicle skips the red light or remains motionless on the crosswalk band while the traffic light is in red. The module works by detecting, by using a sensor, if the vehicle moves or remains parked on the crosswalk band.

The pre-event 30 registration routine is the first to start and is responsible for saving a sequence of digital images of what occurs before a vehicle commits an infraction (event), in case the latter reaches really occur.

Next, the input port 31 is read and the return value is checked to identify the status of the red traffic light 32.

If the stop signal shows a traffic light in red, the next stage is to enter the variable (global)  which identifies if the traffic light is red as true 33, this variable, if true, causes the stopwatch to be displayed red signal timing in the image being registered.

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Example:

102

Continuing with the process, a red traffic light timing timer 34 that measures the time during which the traffic light remains red. Followed vehicle 35 detection is performed. If the vehicle cannot detected, reads the input port 41 again and the detection of vehicle 36 is repeated until the traffic light leaves of being in red 42 or until the vehicle has been detected. When a vehicle is detected, a variable of the indicator of infraction presents its modified value to true 37 and the capture (sequence of digital images) will be that of the posevento. With this Finally, a variable indicating the event is placed as true 43

If the traffic light is not red 32, it is performed a check to determine if the traffic light stopwatch in red is on 38, and if on, it is switched to off 39 and the value of the red traffic light identifier variable set to false 40 and port reading resumes while waiting of a new red traffic light cycle.

Radar module (figures 6, 7, 8 and 9)

In the instant speed radar module, a vehicle speed calculation is made by dividing the distance between sensors s1 and s2 by the time the vehicle to pass through the two sensors. If the speed exceeds the allowed, a vehicle image is registered, the license plate Vehicle registration is determined through the OCR and this Information is saved in a file for further processing.  Next, the sequence of digital images and the information of the date, time, maximum speed allowed in the road, the measured speed and the infraction situation are inserted into the sequence of digital images. At the end of time interval specified in the configuration file, the digital image sequence ends and the cycle returns to start

If a speed procedure is used media, there is an additional configuration file in which specifies the maximum speed allowed at each point and the average speed along the section of the road.

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Configuration example

Number of points: N

one

The process starts by reading the maximum speed allowed on the road, the speed of the point (instant) and the average speed, distances between sensors and placing these values in auxiliary variables 49. These values are read in the initialized variables during the initialization process of the system.

Then pre-event 50 starts, it is say, the preceding record begins (in a temporary file of fixed size) to an infraction (event).

Immediately after, the module introduces the vehicle detection mode 51, detection is checked 52 and if the vehicle has not been detected, it is repeated until the vehicle is detected in the first sensor.

If the vehicle has been detected, it is registered in a variable 53 the hour (Model hh: mm: ss: ms) and the detection of vehicles on sensor 2, 54. In checking 55 detection with positive result, the time is stored (Model hh: mm: ss: ms) in another variable 56 and the speed is calculated in this point 57 where Vpoint = (distance between sensors) / (hour 2 - hour 1).

The measured speed is compared with the speed maximum allowed on highway 58, and if the instantaneous speed (point) is less than or equal to the maximum allowed speed, it capture an image of the license plate of vehicle 59, this Image is sent to a character recognition function (OCR) 60, and as a return of this function a variable of type is obtained sequential that contains the license plate number, which is will save in a file 61 along with the date information, the hour, the speed measured at the point, the speed allowed at the Road and machine serial number.

If the serial number of the previous machine is greater than zero (this parameter has been read in the file of configuration during the initialization process), the calculation of the average speed 62.

If the speed measured at the point is greater than the maximum speed allowed for the road, the variable excessive speed identifier conforms to true 63 and it capture an image of the license plate of vehicle 59, this Image is sent to a character recognition process (OCR) 60, and as a return of this function a variable of type is obtained sequential that contains the license plate number, which is will save in a file 61 along with the date information, the hour, the speed measured at the point, the speed allowed at the Road and machine serial number.

Next it is necessary to register the instantaneous velocity (point) as an infraction factor 67, in If necessary, the process draws on the capture of event 68 in the that the sequence of digital images will be captured (digitally) of the infringement produced according to the time specified in the file Of configuration.

The need to calculate the average speed 69 and if not necessary, the process returns to wait for vehicles to pass through the first sensor.

The calculation of the average speed consists of the reading of the registration plate of the license plate of the machine that precedes this one 70, which can be done by means of disk sharing (for example via smb or netbui) since The system can communicate through a network. Then you look for license plate 71 recognized in this file (the key Search is the license plate). It is checked if the plate registration has been found in this file 72. If it has not been found, the process awaits the passage of vehicles in the first sensor 51. If the license plate was found in the file, the time read in the file is placed in a variable 73 (time1) and the current time is placed in another variable (time2). Be calculate the time variation by subtracting hour 2 - hour 1 and the result is placed in another variable 74, for example, dt. The distance to the preceding machine is placed in a variable, by example dS75. The distance to the preceding machine is recorded in File settings Next the speed is calculated  mean along the path 76 SpeedAver = dS / dt. It is checked if the average speed along the path exceeds the allowed (configured) 77 and if so, capture starts (sequence of digital images) of event 78. Then the process awaits the passage of vehicles for the first sensor.

Registered vehicle control module (Figure 10)

An image of device 79 is captured and sends to the character recognition module 80, and the value of Return is placed in a variable.

Next, the license plate is searched in a file of registration plates previously registered 81. Yes the license plate is in this file 82, a record in a file that contains the information related to the Vehicle registration plate, date, time and address of the equipment 83. This file can be recovered 84 (over the network or another mode) to process the data in the desired way, by example for statistical purposes.

Traffic light control module (Figure 11)

Initially, the traffic light control reads a traffic light configuration file 85 in which it is specified whether it is a two stage or three stage controller. TO then initialize the control vectors according to the type of specified traffic light (86).

Example: if it is a two stage controller (binary values):

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smOut [1]: = 100100001001;

smOut [2]: = 100100010010;

smOut [3]: = 001001100100;

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Then you get the date and time 87 to select the temporary plan 88 to be used. TO then the program starts sending the data to the port of output 89, each bit with value "1" will connect a point in the output port and each bit with value "0" will disconnect the point at the port of departure.

The cycle period is expected (specified in the plan) 90 has been completed, used with this end a timer or a waiting routine. When the time The process reaches the end of the next phase of cycle 91, for example: countphase: = countphase + 1.

Next, the input port 92 is read to detect the passage of vehicles 93; if a vehicle 93 passes the vehicle is counted 94 and the information is saved in a file 95.

An analysis is performed to determine if the cycle has ended 96 and if it has finished the process is repeated since reading the date and time 87.

Digital image sequence module (pre-event capture and the pose) (Figures 12 and 13)

The pre-event record works with the fact that a continuous recording time is required in which gradually discard the oldest images. To this end, a classification vector is used that indicates in what order read the partitions of the sequence of digital images (by example files).

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Example (inTimeBefore is a global variable that contains the value of the pre-event registration time):

103

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The sequence of digital images of the preevent segmented into files with 1 second of sequence duration of digital images (a table of a base of data) and the names of the mimes are formed, for example, by The name of every second. A pre-event time of 5 seconds will create 5 files, which can be called:

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1.tmp

2.tmp

3.tmp

4.tmp

5.tmp

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When the sequence of digital images is run during the first second of it, the value is inserted 1 in the classification vector.

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Example of the insert function (pos)

104

Etc. At the time of reading the temporary files to concatenate them in the final file, it follow the reverse order of the classification vector.

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Sample reading process:

105

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A pre-event registration time will be obtained continuous, since the order of reading the sequence of images Digital will always be sequential. For example:

Value inserted \ hskip3cm Vector classification one 10000 2 21000 3 32100 4 43210 5 54321 one 15432

First a vector with a higher number of elements in a unit at the time of the sequence  of digital images 97 and then all the other variables of module 98. Next, n partitions 99 with 1 second each, n being the time specified to record the preevent. After that it starts a timer 100 that will continue counting until the time is reached specified. The sequence of digital images 101 is started, which is carried out using system API video resources operating that is being used. During the sequence of images digital, the necessary information is inserted in image 102, it check if a second 103 has elapsed by asking timer, if one second has elapsed, the sequence of digital images 104 in their corresponding partition (for example 1.tmp) and in the classification vector the corresponding second 105 and then a new one starts sequence of digital images 106.

The reception status of event 107 is analyzed analyzing a logical (global) variable, and if it has not been received no event, it is checked if the time limit has been reached registration 108 asking the timer, and if it has not been reached the time limit, the information is still inserted in the image 102, otherwise timer 109 is reset.

If an event has been received, the sequence of digital images of the pre-event has finished 110, it is inserted in its corresponding partition and its order number is inserted in the classification vector. The timer stops immediately after 111.

Once the timer has started (then with the registration time of pose 112), the sequence of images of posevento 113 and until the registration time is completed 115 the information is still inserted in image 113.

When the registration time has elapsed, the record timer stops 116 and ends the sequence of digital images of the 117th event. The preevent partitions are concatenate following the order specified in the vector of classification 118 and concatenates the sequence of the posevento of digital images, saving the resulting file as final sequence of digital images 120. Next, you will Increase event counter 121, since the file name final can present the number of events at the beginning of it.

The reading classification routine sequential pre-event partitions of figure 14 consist basically in the alteration of positions within the vector of classification.

Initially it receives the value to be inserted 122, starts a counting variable with the time value of record 123, while the value of this variable is greater than value 126 the steps of value offset of a value are repeated position 124 and decrease of counting variable 125. When it is variable reaches the value "1", the repetition is interrupted and the received value is inserted in position one of the vector of classification 127.

Process of recording information in the image sequence digital (figure 15)

The process begins by recovering an image of the capture device 128, inserting the information corresponding to the date, time and address in the image 129. Yes the identification variable of the red signal is true 130 se Insert the traffic light stopwatch information in red 131.

If a violation 132 occurs, a infringement indicator in image 133; if the speed limit 134, the information is inserted in the image corresponding to the measured speed and the maximum speed allowed 135.

In the end, the image is inserted in the sequence of digital images 136.

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Example:

106

107

Vehicle detector module (figure 16)

Initially, a variable that indicates whether it has been whether or not a detection is initialized as false 137, it Check whether or not the sensor used is real 138.

If the sensor was used, a reading is made of input port 139, and the value is compared to determine if a vehicle 140 has passed or not. If a vehicle has been detected, the value of the identification variable is set to true 141, otherwise its value will be false 143 and in the end this variable is returned as a result 142.

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Port reading example:

108

109

If the sensor used is the virtual sensor, it invokes virtual detection routine 144, the value of return 145, if a vehicle detection occurs, the value of the identification variable is set to true 141, in case Otherwise, the value is set to false 143 and in the end this variable is returned as a result 142.

Virtual detector module (Figure 17)

A detection variable is initialized with the value set to false 146, then an image is recovered from the buffer memory of the capture device 147, this image is copied to a base image 148, there is a delay of 5 milliseconds 149, then a new image 150 is captured that will be the comparison image, this image is copied 151 to use it to establish differences with the base image and the base image and different image are sent to the detection routine of movement 152; it will be appreciated that at this point they can be used even parts of the image, being able to define regions of detection.

The detection identification variable receives the return value of the motion detection routine 153. This routine ends at this point.

Motion detection module (figure 18)

The motion detection routine consists of basically compare two images, transform the image previous (base) in a negative, add the current image bit by bit (comparison) and then add the bits of the image resulting. It is obvious that when the point is black (image matching) the point value will be zero, when there is an image difference, the point will present a value different from zero. If the sum reaches a value above the threshold, will serve to characterize that there has been movement in the space between one and another image captures.

The base image and the image of comparison (difference) 154. The comparison image is saved in a temporary image 155, the temporary image is transformed into a negative of it, the base image adds to this temporary image and the resulting image is placed in the temporary image 156.

When exploring the image from the bottom up to along the vertical coordinates 157 a counter starts (ex.y) and the value of the sum of point values in the image is initialize with zero value. A position counter starts horizontal image with zero value 158, while not reached the end of the horizontal line in the vertical coordinate the value of the point (x, y) is added 159, until the counter horizontal reaches its maximum value 161 by increments successive 160. Then the process goes to the next vertical coordinate 162 and repeats until the counter of vertical positions reaches the maximum value, that is, the height of image 163.

At the end of the process, a division is made of the sum of points (x, y) by the height of the multiplied image by the width of it, and the result is saved in a variable 164. As a consequence, this model returns a logical value based in a comparison 165, in which the delta value previously calculated is lower than the threshold specified in the file system initialization. This value is then returned. 166 to the module that activates this module.

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Examples

110

Character recognition module (Figure 19)

Initially image 169 is received, which is subject to various processes aimed at character detection. The first process reduces the image to an image on the scale of gray 170, then reduce it back to two colors, black and white 171. A search by rectangles is then carried out 172 in the image, when they are found the region is discarded around, the remaining image is divided 173 to search by comparison of common points 174 the characters that should recognize This is done through a comparison between matrices, the one that finds the greatest correlation with the matrix of points of the divided region corresponds to the character of the matrix compared

At the end of the process a variable is returned which contains the characters that identify the license plate of vehicle 174.

Maximum speed warning module (figure twenty)

The process starts by reading the maximum speed allowed on the road, the speed snapshot, average speed and distance between sensors and place the values in auxiliary variables 176. These values are read in the initialized variables during the process of system initialization.

Immediately after, the module introduces the vehicle detection mode 177, the detection of the vehicle 178 and if no vehicle has been detected, the process will be Repeat until a vehicle is detected on the first sensor.

If a vehicle is detected, it is registered in a variable 179 the hour (model hh: mm: ss: ms) and detection begins of vehicles on sensor 2, 180. When checking detection 181 shows positive result, the time is saved (model hh: mm: ss: ms) in another variable 182 and the calculation of the speed at this point 183 where Vpoint = (distance between sensors) / (hour 2 - hour 1).

The measured speed is compared with the speed maximum allowed for highway 184 and if the instantaneous speed  is higher than the maximum allowed speed, a signal is sent to the output port for a set of indicators to inform the driver who is traveling at a speed greater than the allowed for highway 186, otherwise a signal 185 to the output port for devices to signaling inform the driver that you are driving to a speed within the allowed speed limit.

Claims (9)

1. Procedure to capture and store of continuously a sequence of digital images associated with a violation of potential traffic in the event that it occurs, the procedure comprising the following steps:

to)

adjust the situation parameters, capture resolution and location parameters of storage;

b)

adjust at least one total time and at least one number of frames per unit of time to capture  and store a sequence of digital images of a violation of potential traffic;

C)

allocate space for a loop of memory according to the settings in step b);

d)

initialize capture devices of potential traffic violations;

and)

capture and store in the loop memory, overwriting the previous sequence stored in the same, a new sequence of digital images during one of said at least a total time and according to one of said so minus a number of frames per unit of time, both defined in stage b);

F)

verify, during the total time defined in step e), that a violation of traffic, if no traffic violation has been detected return to stage e);

g)

store permanently in a storage location the sequence of digital images included in the memory loop;

h)

capture and store so definitely a sequence of digital images after detecting that a traffic violation occurred during one of said at least a total time and according to one of said at least one number of frames per unit of time, both defined in the stage b);

i)

concatenate a single file the definitive sequence of digital images generated in the stages g) and h); Y

j)

permanently store the digital image sequence file created in the stage i).

2. Method according to claim 1, in the one that digital images comprise a stopwatch that active when the traffic light is red. 3. Method according to claim 2, in which the stopwatch comprises two digits for seconds and two digits for tenths of a second. 4. Procedure according to any of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the related text data with the potential traffic violation are part of the image digital. 5. Method according to claim 1, in which the memory loop is updated frame by frame in the stage e). 6. System comprising a processor computing and a memory coupled to the processor, in which the memory is encoded with one or more programs that perform the method according to any of the claims previous. 7. Software product that comprises parts of program code to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 when the computer program runs on one or more computers or information systems. 8. Computer program product according to the claim 7, wherein the software product is stored in a computer readable recording medium. 9. Device to capture and store so continues a sequence of digital images associated with a violation of potential traffic in the event that it occurs, comprising the device:

to)

some means to adjust the parameters of the situation, resolution of capture and storage location parameters;

b)

some means to adjust at least one total time and at least one number of frames per unit of time to capture and a means to store a sequence of digital images of a violation of potential traffic;

C)

some means to allocate space for a memory loop according to adjustments in stage b);

d)

some means for initializing the capture devices of potential traffic violations;

and)

some means for capturing and storing in the memory loop, means to overwrite the previous sequence stored in it, a new sequence of digital images during one of said so minus a total time and according to one of said at least one number of frames per unit of time;

F)

some means to verify, during the total time, that there has been a traffic violation;

g)

some means to store permanently in a location of storage of the sequence of digital images included in the memory loop;

h)

some means to capture and permanently store a sequence of digital images after detecting that a traffic violation for one of said at least a while total and according to one of said at least a number of pictures per unit of time;

i)

some means to concatenate the definitive sequence in a single file of digital images; Y

j)

some means for permanently storing the archive of the Sequence of digital images.